Day 215:

Jan 31- Ancient Verse, a Chinese form, existing until the “Modern” form around 200 A.D.  Used 5 or 7 syllables, sometimes 6 syllables. Used parallelism and balance. Any number of quatrains, xaxa, xbxb, etc. with x unrhymed.

The ancient rhymes recall life

Of love, of nature, like those

From past to future forward

Ancestry bloomed like a rose.

Day 214:
Jan 30-FDR’s Birthday, a poem for this longest serving president in the U.S. Title: FDR

 Troubles surrounded us

Many made a big fuss
We had a Depression
He made an Impression
Then the War came along
We fought singing a song
Four terms FDR had
Then died, it made us sad
Close this tribute to say
Remember his Birthday.  

Day 213:
Jan 29-Do you have a phobia about the number Thirteen? Here’s a poem about it.

Triskaidekaphobia

It’s a big word for certain
Beware the curse before you
Or you will meet your curtain.

Day 212:

Jan 28-Qilu, the 7 syllable Lushi/Jintishi. Remember there can be allusions.

Greatness within an acorn

So also is the Qilu.

Seven sounds surrounds its’ soul

The pretty petals perform

Prevent petrification

With poet preparation

A balanced life is the key

To properly ride the storm.

Day 211:

Jan 27-Iroquis Mid-Winter Ceremony, a Native American poetic form called Enduring Earth dance. It uses specific vowels used at least once. There are 3 sections. Entrance(3 syllables), Dance(in 2), Prayerful Exit(in 3).

Mid-Winter

Standards call

Ask again

A message

Living things

Earth endures

Spring again.

Enter

Cold snow

Anxious

Awkward

Intense

Prepare

Return

Warmless

Bears sleep

Halfway

Hunger

Bees sleep

Covered

Await

Dull field

Frozen.

Endurance

Call for warmth

Elderly

Old renewed

Ice with life

Bravely wait

Awaken

Life anew

Spring returns

Go boldly.

Day 210:

Jan 26- Tu Bishvat, Jewish Arbor Day, done in Yiddish Folk Verse: Stanzaic,any number of quatrains, occasionally written in sixains. Accentual, written with 4 stressed syllables per line and any number of unstressed syllables, rhyme xaxa, xbxb, etc. x is unrhymed. Sometimes abab cdcd, sixains in rhyme aabccb ddeffe, etc. Title Jewish Arbor Day

The trees survive because we strive

Actions, not words protect each tree

Posterity demands our best

Future generations to see.

All nature call for stewardship

Whether domesticated or wild

Flora, fauna, tis God’s garden

Tending parents to each child. 

Day 209:

Jan 25-back to the Chinese form called Jintishi. The Lushi is one that has 8 lines, or 4 couplets. There are two types, the Wulu, and the Qilu. The following is the Wulu. Remember to rhyme the second and fourth couplet.

Eight lined Jintishi

You are a Lushi.

With five syllables

You are a Wulu.

Four couplets parade

Tones balance the scene

Chinese write these well

See what you can do.

Day 208:
Jan 24- Mawlid Un Nabi, For Muslims, the Birth of Mohammed. A Ghazal in honor of his birth.

If you are a Muslim

This day is one of joy.
For Mohammed was born
An Islam day of joy.
It is not a problem
When you are filled with joy.
Friends help and celebrate
A Muslim’s day of joy.
For Arthur closes this
Wishing for peace and joy.

Day 207:
Jan 23-Qijue, a Jintishi with 7 syllables

Nurse the seven syllables

Follow it courageously
A Qijue is just like life
Try each state and you will see.

Day 206:
Jan 22- Descriptions of many poetic forms can be found at poetrymagnumopus.com, Poets.org, poetryoutloud.org, as well as Wikipedia. A number of books are also available. For example, different sites give a general description of the Jintishi poetic form. It literally means “Modern Form Poetry” because the period between the Six dynasties to the Tang Dynasty(between 200-900 A.D.)  produced the changes to the “new” style from the ancient style poetry. There are two types. 4 lined forms and 4 couplet forms. 4 lines with 5 syllables is called Wujue. 4 lines with 7 syllables is called Qijue. 4 couplets with 5 syllables is called Wulu. 4 couplets with 7 syllables is called Qilu. The Chinese used the 4 levels of the Chinese language; level, rising/ falling, departing, entering. English equivalents are the stressed/unstressed words. Each line expresses a complete sentence. Even numbered lines rhyme. One presents the big within the small, and the universal within the particular. Allusion is used, regarding anything from historical figures to political events. The third line/couplet serves to change direction or to turn the thought around. That change or turn is emphasized by a pause before the reading of the last 3 syllables in the poem. If you vary the syllable size of a Jintishi, usually done by using 6 syllable lines as well, it is called a Pailu. The following is my attempt at the smallest form, the Wujue.

 Level syllables

Five for the Wujue
Rise, fall, and depart
Enter…and you’re through.

Day 205:
Jan 21- Martin Luther King Day, here’s a poem honoring this day

MLK is the day

To celebrate the way
Racism is not right
All people have the right
To live so choose your fight
The constitution’s way
Happy MLK Day!

 Day 204:
Jan 20- ERASURE POETRY is a form of found poetry created by erasing words from an existing text in prose or verse and framing the result on the page as a poem. The results can be allowed to stand in situ or they can be arranged into lines and/or stanzas. Take the Qasida earlier, and used the form, and here is the consequence.

Consequence

Nostalgia
Passage
Community
Engage
Forward
Humor
Fun!

Day 203:

Jan 19- Robert E. Lee’s Birthday, A Celebrated hero of the Mexican-American War, and the American South during the Civil War, he was honored by even his enemy, General Grant, and by Abraham Lincoln, and Andrew Johnson. Mistreated by Northern Extremists, he presented himself as always a gentleman, and worked tirelessly for the reconciliation of both sides. In his honor, this poem.

Title: The southern gentleman

Who would oppose such things in the south?

Who would help his troops with deed and mouth?

The Southern Gentleman.

A hero of many wars it’s said

He mourned the loss of so many dead.

The Southern Gentleman.

Presidents thus called on him to lead

In war and peace in honor and deed

The Southern Gentleman.

Reconciling, the tasked peacekeeper

His land was taken by hate seekers

The Southern Gentleman.

His land, Arlington Cemetery

Washington-Lee University

A teacher, leader, his legacy

I remember Robert Edward Lee

The Southern Gentleman.

Day 202:

Jan 18- alternating Aknot, similar to the haiku-like Choka, 5,7,5,7,5.

Move the syllables

Five, seven, five, seven, five

Try out a new form

An alternating aknot

See what you can do.

Day 201:
Jan 17- back to the modified forms. Remember the Tonka? There is an alternating Tonka, where the seven and five syllabled lined are mixed up. 7,5,7,5,7.

Move the syllables around

Seven, five, seven
Then five and seven again
Try this out for size
An alternating Tonka.

Day 200:

Jan 16-A landmark number! Title: bicentennial

The number is here!

Two hundred is not minor.
Bicentennial!

Day 199:

Jan 15-World Religion Day, Interesting concept, where people can celebrate polytheism and atheism at the same time. Here is a poem about the holiday. Title World Religions

The world is huge

A rounded size
Religions’ a treasure
A precious prize
Where did this all come from?
There’s truth and lies
Go search for God.

Day 198:

Jan 14- Makar Sankranti, another Hindu holiday, it commemorates the beginning of the harvest season and cessation of the northeast monsoon in South India. this day marks the beginning of warmer and longer days compared to the nights. In other words, Sankranti marks the termination of winter season and beginning of a new harvest or spring season. As such the sun god is worshipped. A Vakh poem for the occasion: distich(2 couplets), 4 lines, 7 syllables, with 4 stresses per line. True or near rhyme.

Makar Sankrati! Hey! Cheer!

No more monsoons now to fear

Winter’s gone, the Spring brings sun

Begin the harvest and the fun!

Day 197:

Jan 13-Lohri, a bonfire festival from India. Using the Abhanga form from the area, the celebratory poem is ready! Title: Lohri

A bonfire celebration

Celebrating Lohri

It is something to see!

Light up the fires!

For Hindus everywhere

Winter celebration

A time for tons of fun

A festive time!

Day 196:

Jan 12-Prevent Genocide Day, here is a poem honoring this day. Title: Hear the call

Hear the call

Victims all

Death or life?

Always strife

Genocide?

On whose side?

Victims cry

Hear their sigh

Racism?

Hatism!

Victims all

Here the call.

Day 195:

Jan 11-Modified Aknot, or centered Aknot, as D.S. Teller calls it, is similar to the modified Tonka, where the reversed Tonka syllable count is then further modified by centering the five syllabled lines in the middle, and the seven syllable lines are placed on the outside.

Seven, five, five, five, seven

Modified aknot
Try this out for size
A centered aknot
See if you can do better.

Day 194:

Jan 10-Modified Tonka or Centered Tonka, as D.S. Teller refers to this type of Tonka. The 7 syllable lines are centered and the outer lines are the five syllabled lines. 5,7,7,7,5.

Try this out for size

Five,seven, seven, seven,
Finish with five syllables
A Tonka that is centered
Modified Tonka.

Day 193:

Jan 9-Notka, or True Aknot, depending on whose interpretation. The syllables of a Tonka are reversed, So, instead of 5,7,5,7,7 we have 7 5 7 5 5.

Seven, five, seven, five, five

Is it an Aknot?
The syllables are reversed
Quite a strange poem
Try it for yourself.

Day 192:

Jan 8-Aknot, according to D.S. Teller, is a modified Reverse Tonka, or a true Aknot, different from what some call an Aknot. The syllable count of a Tonka is reversed, similar to a reverse Haiku called an Ukiah.and the bottom couplet is moved to the top

Is this an Aknot?

Reversed syllables

Five, five, seven, five, seven

Try it out to see

If this will work out for you.

Day 191:

Jan 7-Reverse Tonka, or Konta. Poets frequently modify or transform current forms to fit their poetic style. The following is a Tonka in reverse, where the pair of 7 syllable lines are moved to the top. D.S. Teller refers this as a Konta, while others call it an Aknot.

A poem to consider

Start with seven, seven

Reverse the tonka

Five, seven, five syllables end

Is it an aknot?

Day 190:

Jan 6-Epiphany, a Catholic holiday celebrating when the wise men met the Baby Jesus . title: Epiphany

A moment of clarity

A time of discovery

And cheerful holiday

Have you seen Jesus?

Day 189:

Jan 5-Another Native  American poem-Indian War poem,

Warrior

Fleet in forest

Steady on stones

Eyes on everything

Hearing the heart of life

Senses centered

Fighting for life

Day 188:

Jan 4-Tewa Turtle Dance Day- A Native American holiday celebrating Creation. Here’s a poem for that holiday . Title: Creation

Sky Father

Earth Mother
Creation
Turtle Dance
Celebrate
Conception
Life brought forward
Stars are born
Native joys
Native’s here
Dance and cheer
Holiday!

Day 187:

Jan 3-Cynghanedd Groes, [cross across harmony] all consonants surround main stressed vowel before caesura repeated after it in same order. However, final consonants of final words of each half of line must be different, as must main stressed vowel of each half. No consonants in second half of line which is not part of consonant. Echo vowels other than stressed may be any kind.  The following has hpshwlf in both lines, and o is the main vowel. Title: Hope

I hope to show a loaf

You hop too, o she wolf. 

Day 186:

Jan 2-Qasida, the Arabic qasida is a non-strophic, tripartite poem employing 50 to 120 hemstitch lines, monorhyme and quantitative meter with a tripartite sequence of thematic modules. Adjectives are used in place of nouns: strutting in place of ostrich. They used telescoping metaphors that were so much fun to work with: Like the Greek ode, the qasida is divided into three parts. However, the interrelated strophe, antistrophe and epode of the Greek ode do not correspond to the three independent thematic sections of the qasida: the nasib, rahil and fakrh. The classical qasida’s structure is similar to the Jungian “Hero’s Quest”:

1.     The nasib is a moment of separation and typically depicts a symbolic recognition of the “other”, which prompts the persona into a state of agitation.

2.     The rahil is a moment of margin and depicts a liminal state
characterized by anti-social behavior.

3.     Finally, the fakrh is a moment of aggregation and depicts a scene of
integration with the community.

The qasida’s narrative is a rite of passage, a transformative experience shared by the persona, performer and audience.  This is a difficult form. Take a shot at it and see.

Non-strophic

Polyphonic

Qasida

Metaphors outstretched

Adjectives are fetched

Rhyming

Work out the timing

Sequence

Length of term no consequence

Just three sections

Let the Nasib begin

Maxim morality

Nostalgia thick or thin

Elasticity

If read or heard

Thus inferred

Prepare for the third

Wore of the word.

Begin again

Rahil  another

It’s brother

Take a spin or cease

Release

For peace

Disengaging

Or enraging

Transition to

Make it through

Running, walking

Satire joking

Toward three

So wonderfully

Acting forcefully

Maximally

Working toward

Going forward

Arabic involvement

Ends this installment.

Messaging incurred

Petition procured

Integrating morals

For poor mortals

Passage of rite

To community

All to see

Humor in thee

Tremendously

Fit for rhyming

Show the timing

Nouns few, adjectives yes

Difficult I must confess

Relate

Nearing one’s fate

A Qasida writ

See if also fit

This Arabic form done

Now for some fun!

Day 185:

Jan 1-New Year’s Day, a poem for a brand new year. Title New Year’s Day

A new day has come

For all and not for just some

Resolve to be good

And try to do what we should

We reached a new year

For some joy, for some a tear

If you had your way

What will happen New Year’s Day?